77% turnout in Punjab, 70% in Uttarakhand

Political analysts would be hard pressed to explain a record turnout for what was billed as a “no-wave” election” in Punjab. Punjab mandate 2012 | Wild cards make it too close to call in Punjab | Congress expects sweeping win

A 17-year-old boy, Nishan Singh, was killed by a bullet allegedly fired by the husband of Satkar Kaur, the Congress candidate from Ferozepur Rural. In Anandpur Sahib, a woman died of heart attack outside a polling station.

Dehradun: Clear sky, sunshine and possible anti-incumbency pushed Uttrakhand en masse to the voting booths on Monday. The sluggish figures of the morning picked up soon and by 5 pm, 70% voting was recorded — beating the last year’s 63%.

The counting will be held on March 6, said chief election officer Radha Raturi.

This election is significant for the state, as it is the first after a delimitation process. The realignment of the constituencies has shifted the power balance in favour of the plains.

Polling began at 8 am, and the clear skies belied the snow warning of the Met department.

Around 63 lakh voters were to exercise their franchise in the elections where the ruling BJP is locked in a close fight with the Congress. Altogether, 788 candidates are in the fray for 70 assembly seats.

The BJP has 36 members in the outgoing assembly, followed by the Congress with 20, BSP with eight and Uttarakhand Kranti Dal with three members. There are three Independents as well.

Khanduri, Nishank, former CM Nityanand Swami and ND Tiwari, and assembly speaker Harbans Kapoor were among those who braved the morning chill to cast their votes.

“I have gone to town and the village areas and people are coming in large numbers and that’s a good signal,” Khanduri said. “We feel we will form the government comfortably, but again, it’s for the people to decide.”

A total of 75 companies of CRPF personnel and 12,000 home guards were deployed for the election and 9,789 polling booths were set up. Of them, 1,794 were declared as sensitive and 1,252 as hyper-sensitive.

"Polling has been peaceful and not even a minor incident of violence was reported. There would be no repoll," said Raturi.